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Cottage food laws · MD
Selling homemade food in Maryland
Maryland lets you sell shelf-stable homemade foods up to $50,000 a year after registering with your county health department and completing a short training — no food service facility license or routine kitchen inspection required. A bill to raise the cap to $100,000 (HB 535) is pending as of mid-2026 but is not yet law, so keep confirming the current cap before advising customers otherwise.
Program
Maryland Cottage Food Law
Registration
Register with your local county health department and complete a food safety training course
Annual sales cap
$50,000 gross annual sales (COMAR 10.15.03 / Health-General §21-330.1); a pending bill, HB 535, would raise this to $100,000 effective October 2026 if enacted — not yet in effect, confirm current status before relying on a higher figure
Online sales
Allowed (see notes)
You can sell
- Baked goods without cream/custard fillings
- Jams, jellies, preserves
- Candy & chocolate
- Dry mixes & granola
- Popcorn
You can't sell
- Potentially hazardous/perishable foods
- Meat & poultry products
- Dairy-based products
- Home-canned low-acid vegetables
Where you can sell
- Direct in-person sales from home
- Farmers markets
- Roadside stands
Selling online
Online ordering allowed with in-state delivery/pickup; no shipping across state lines
What your labels must include
- Business name & address (or MDH identification number)
- Ingredient list in descending order by weight
- Allergen declaration
- Net weight/volume
- Disclaimer in 10-point or larger contrasting-color type stating the product is not subject to Maryland's food safety regulations